First Day of School

Without much fanfare, Hunter started school yesterday. Chandler will start today. The boys are willing to get started with school again after we took a definite break while Grama was living with us for 6 weeks. I’ll post pictures after the boys get haircuts.

What I mean by “school” is the subjects and methods that look most like school learning. The rest of the time we are naturally learning together. So much of what we do is educational through our hobbies and interests.

Hunter asked to use the computer for school this year. He likes to use the computer for his least favorite subjects, or the aspects of the subject that are not his favorite. What do I mean by this? He likes to learn the mechanics of reading on the computer. He likes to learn math terms and math facts on the computer. If he has need for these subjects in real life, he uses what he knows and asks questions to find out what he does not know. If he is expected to learn facts without a need for it at that moment, he’d rather use a computer than have Mom explain it.

He still likes ABC Mouse, particularly the books that are read aloud to him and the rewards, but that program does not go to a high enough level for Hunter, so I signed him up for Time 4 Learning. He will do 3 language arts lessons, 2 math lessons, 1 science lesson and 1 social studies lesson per day, 7 days a week. It does not take long for him to complete, and it is a good habit for him to do this daily. He will review 2nd grade and finish 3rd grade by May, with a nice break near Christmas. Here are the lesson plans. I like that this program is a gap filler for the things we don’t encounter in our daily lives. The math and science will be too easy for him, but he does need the extra help with reading and phonics. For two children it costs about $35 per month.

We will also enjoy Five in a Row books this year. I hope to do some of the FIAR activities this time around. We also hope to have an opportunity with a Friday group to do 4H forestry, entomology, art, Legos and science experiments. This group is forming now, and I am waiting to hear if they have a spot for us.

8/19/12 editing to add: Chandler started his lessons this morning at 10:00 am (pst) and he is still doing the program at noon because he said, “It’s so fun!” Hunter also did his lessons this morning without complaint, except for saying that we don’t have anything he likes for breakfast so he did school before breakfast, while I went to the store. I am heading to the library when it opens to get the suggested books to go along with the lessons.

Our boys are not used to taking quizzes, so Hunter clicked out before it was finished. He said the math was too easy. I might need to bump him ahead, but also want to make sure he knows all the math terms and computerized testing methods.